The brand-new GT3 class Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 being readied for the track action as it prepares to make its full racing debut this weekend in the final double-header round of the the Brazilian GT3 Championship which is taking place at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo. Photos: Camila Maluf/Andre Pinto de Lima.

The new GT3 class Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 will make its racing debut this weekend when the final double-header round of this year's Brazilian GT3 Championship takes place at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo. The new LP560 racer is based on the road-going Gallardo LP560-4 (dropping the "-4" as it is rear wheel drive) and it will replace the successful Reiter Engineering Gallardo GT3 which has claimed victories and championships from Germany to Brazil to Australia.

Unusually the brand-new Gallardo LP560, which has been built in Hans Reiter's workshops in Germany, is making its world competitive debut this weekend in the Brazil GT3 Championship in the hands of Rafael Daniel and Cláudio Dahruj.

"Basically the Gallardo GT3 is a street car adapted racing, while LP560 is a car made for the tracks. The suspension is independent wishbones, it has race shock absorbers, the brakes are bigger, as well as the wheel size. Moreover, the engine has forty horsepower more, and it has a six-speed gearbox At last. it is a car athat was made for race," says Carlos Chiarelli of Scuderia 111 which is responsible for preparing the LP560 that will debut at Interlagos this weekend. He admits that the car will race having undertaken very little testing, but believes the LP560 will be quicker than the existing Gallardo GT3 from the off. Reiter Engineering will send over technicians for the race, the eighth and final round of this year's series, and also in attendance will be a representative from CBA (Confederação Brasileira de Automobilismo) which is responsible for "performance balancing" in the Brazilian GT3 Championship. The team will run Bruno Garfinkel and Chico Serra in its usual Gallardo GT3 this weekend alongside the new car.

The GT3 class Gallardo LP560 weighs-in at at 1,190 kg and, as a result, numbers among the lightweights in the GT3 class. The reason for this is its unique light-weight design aluminium spaceframe-structure, which allows the chassis to be considerably lighter and extremely rigid torsionally. The front and rear bodywork and the sills are also manufactured from carbon-fibre. The aerodynamic concept follows the high-downforce philosophy of the predecessor. A combination of the carbon rear wing, front splitter and the completely closed aluminium-honeycomb underfloor generate the downforce required. The aerodynamic have been improved by 8 percent compared to its predecessor.

According to comments by chief engineer Edward Turner the new GT3 suspension concept is based on its big brother the Reiter Murciélago R-GT. CNC machined uprights, fabricated race wishbones, an 24-hour race braking system and the multi-adjustable race suspension specially developed for the GT3 car underline this and are the foundation for the improved suspension geometry. The state-of-the-art mid-engine concept gives the car excellent handling and forms the base for the perfect front to rear weight distribution of 43-57 percent. Equipped with 270/650-18 (front) and 310/710-18 (rear) tyres means Reiter Engineering has been able to exploit the maximum tyre dimension on the rear axle which in turn improves the grip compared to the forerunner GT3 and, more specifically, allows significantly more constant lap times. As usual a Holinger race gearbox ensures excellent power transmission. An Evo-gearbox enabled gear-shift times to be reduced by half. In addition, the fully programmable, electronic power management system (OBR) is another technical innovation that eases handling and maintenance.